Oil impregnated sewing thread and method of producing the same



Ja n. 12, 1932. J, GOLDNER 1,841,329

OIL IMPREGNATED SEWING THREAD AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed May 6, 1929 Patented a... 12,1932

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH H. GOLDNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS MORRISON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS on. IMPREGNATED snwme THREAD AND METHOD or raopucme T m Application filed May 6, 1929. Serial No. 860,866.

' and the invention is also concerned with the method of producing such a thread in an economical manner. The invention therefore consists in certain steps in the process of thread manufacture and in the resulting ,..product as herein described and illustrated,

. and as indicated by the claims.

The drawing is a diagrammatic representation of apparatus adapted for carrying out "the process which is the subject of this invention.

In practically all sewing machines the thread is fed through an eye of the needle located a short? distance back from the point, and with each reciprocation of the needle, the thread is drawn through the eye by a distance corresponding to the length of the stitch. This movement takes place quite rapidly and the friction involved tends to heat the thread. When the material upon which the stitching is being done 'is heavy fabric, such as canvas used in awnings and tents, or such as a coated fabric of the character of imitation leather, there is considerable friction on both the needle and the thread caused by forcing them through the fabric and this also tends to heat the needle and burn the thread. As a result, in manufacturing establishments where heavy materials are worked upon, there are frequent delays caused by the burning and breaking of the thread at the eye of the needle, thus requiring the machine to be stopped and re-threaded at the expense of the operators time or that of his employer;

To overcome this difficulty, the thread is sometimes passed through an oil bath or hastily coated with oil at the sewing machine by the operator with a view to lessening the friction and burning effect, but this is seldom satisfactory because it tends to supply an excessive quantity of oil which is absorbed to some extent by the fabric adjacent the stitches causing a stained appearance, and tending to accumulate dust and dirt readily. It also.

carries a surplus quantity of oil to the needle and adjacent parts of the machine having a further tendency to stain the material which comes in contact with these parts. To overcome these difliculties, I have devised a method of impregnating. sewing thread with oil during the process of manufacture so as to avoid the addition of an excessive quantity of lubricant while still supplying a suificient amount to cause the thread to feed easily through the eye of annfeedle without undue friction or heating and to pass readily through thick or closely woven materials also without undue friction or heating; and in practice I have found that thread produced by my process practically eliminates the delays formerly caused by breakage as above described. In the drawing I have represented diagrammatically at 1 the thread. as it comes from the spinning process and is accumulated upon a spool, 2. In the commercial manufacture, each unit machine may have a large number of these spools, but for the purpose of illustration a single spool and a single strand of thread will suflice. From the spool, 2, the thread passes over an idler pulley or roller, 3, into a receptacle containing the usual sizing fluid, 4, which may be a starch solution or the like. In this receptacle a roller, 5, is journalled so as to be partially immersed in the fluid, 4, and runs'in contact with a roller, 6, above it and around which the thread, 1, is led for receiving a film of the starch or other sizing solution to give it a smooth and glossy appearance From the sizing bath the thread passes over a brushing roller, 7, moving at a more rapid rate than the thread itself, thence under an idler, 8, and over a second brushing roller,

9, so that the minute fibres at the surface are brushed and laid, and the sizing is thoroughly distributed over the surface of the thread. Then before the sizing has completely dried, I lead the thread into a second receptacle containing an oil bath, 10, the thread passing under a guide roller, 11, which is partially immersed in the bath and thence out of the receptacle to a guide roller, 12, and onto a receiving pool, 13. The distance between the roller, 12, and the spool, 13, may be several feet if desired,enough to ensure complete drying of the sizing on the surface of the thread. As a result of its immersion in the oil bath, the thread absorbs some oil which is taken up mainly by the inner fibres away from the surface because the sizing which coats the surface fibres tends to prevent their absorption of the oil. As a result when the thread is dried and wound onto the spool, 13, there is no oil noticeable on its surface, but under tension, which acts to compress the twisted fibres against each other, the oil contained in them is squeezed out so as to be observable at the surface. Therefore, when the thread is used in a sewing machine, the tension to which it is subjected as it is fed through the needle, serves to bring the confined oil to the surface and lubricate the needle and the thread just suificiently to prevent the burning and breakage which has heretofore caused so much trouble.

In the diagrammatic drawing I have shown the sizing and oiling process as being carried on within an enclosure, 14, and I have also indicated heating coils, 15, within the en-' closure for assisting in the drying of the sizing. I have found that a good quality of lard oil is most satisfactory for the described treatment of the thread.

I claim:

1. The process of impregnating sewing thread with oil which consists in passing the thread in contact with a sizing solution and promptly thereafter immersing the thread in an oil bath before the sizing is thoroughly 2. The process of impregnating sewing thread with oil which consists in feeding it upon completion of the spinning into contact with a sizing solution, then polishing the surface by brushing, and passing the thread promptly thereafter through an oil bath to permit its inner fibers to absorb a limited quantity of oil, and finally subject ing the thread to heat-for completing drying of the sizing on its surface.

3. A sewing thread impregnated with a limited quantity of oil by having its surface fibers treated with a sizing material which prevents the oil from appearing in observable quantities at the surface until it is forcibly squeezed out from the body of the thread.

4. The process of treating thread which consists in passing thread through a glazing bath and then subjecting the thread to a drying and brushing operation, and then impregnating said thread with oil before the glazing material which has been introduced into the thread is completely dry.

5. The process of treating thread which consists in applying glazing material to the thread, brushing the thread and simultaneously subjecting it to a drying operation, and

before the thread is fully dry impregnating it with oil.

6. The process of treating thread which consists in applying glazing material to the thread, brushing the thread and simultaneously subjecting it to heat to dry it, and subsequently impregnating the thread with oil before the glazing material is fully dry and while the thread is still warm.

7. A thread impregnated with glazing material and having a relatively hard smooth surface, said thread having oil incorporated therein, which oil is retained largely in the central portion of the thread by the glazing material when the thread is not subjected to tension, said oil being forcedto the surface of the thread when the latter is placed under tension.

JOSEPH H. GOLDNER. 

